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Star Trek's 'Woke' Klingon Breaks Galactic Norms
31 Jan
Summary
- New Star Trek series features a Klingon character defying warrior stereotypes.
- The character is heavily implied to be gay, challenging traditional Klingon depictions.
- Showrunner Noga Landau defends the diverse representation as core to Star Trek's values.

The latest installment of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy features Jay-Den Kraag, a Klingon cadet who diverges from the species' warrior archetype, embracing healing and showing vulnerability. This portrayal, including implications of the character being gay, has generated online discussion, with some critics decrying 'woke' values. Showrunner Noga Landau defends the artistic choices, emphasizing Star Trek's historical commitment to diverse storytelling and avoiding generalizations about any culture or background.
Landau draws parallels to Nog from Deep Space Nine, a Ferengi who also pursued an unconventional path. She highlights that breaking the mold is not new to Klingon characters in the franchise, referencing Kolos from Star Trek: Enterprise. The series aims to represent characters that young, diverse audiences can relate to, upholding Gene Roddenberry's vision of Infinite Diversity Infinite Combinations (IDIC).
Despite some backlash, exemplified by past comments from William Shatner questioning modern Star Trek's direction, the series continues to air new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. The show's creators stand by their narrative decisions, framing them as consistent with the franchise's core ethos of inclusivity and exploring a wide spectrum of experiences.




